Despite the murder of at least 1,200 Americans, including service personnel at Khobar Towers; despite lying about its nuclear weapons program; despite the largest terrorist attack in the Western hemisphere before 9/11 that killed 85 Argentinians; despite support for Hamas and Hezbollah attacks against Israel; despite trumped up charges against Americans who have been imprisoned or murdered; despite being a refuge for al-Qaida leadership; the United States stands behind the Iran nuclear deal.
And we do this despite the apparent murder of Alberto Nisman who was investigating the terror attack in Buenos Aires; despite the cries of “death to America”; despite repeated cyberattacks against the U.S.; despite the export of weapons to Syria and Yemen in violation of the arms embargo; and despite the egregious violation of the nuclear accord with the U.N. Security Council with the testing of nuclear capable ICBMs.
Despite all of this and so much more that hasn’t been mentioned, the United States continues to assert that with the nuclear deal now completed — albeit still not signed by Iranian leaders — Iran will enter the ranks of a responsible nation.
For many and I am among them, this is comparable to asking a leopard to change its spots. Since the signing of the nuclear deal in July 2015, Iran has twice tested Ghadr — 110 missiles in direct violation of the accord. U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 states, that Iran cannot undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles that can deliver nuclear weapons for eight years.
But President Hassan Rouhani said, that “Iran will not ask for permission or abide by any resolution” regarding the development of weapons. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power called the first October test, a violation about which she is “deeply concerned.”
But despite appeals to the UNSC Iran Sanctions Committee, no action has been taken.
Nor is it likely any action will be taken.
Notwithstanding the recent release of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report indicating Iran lied about its nuclear program and was working on a nuclear weapon as late as 2009, the IAEA argued its study was complete; thus closing the file on Iran’s past nuclear program and offering a green light for lifting nuclear — related sanctions.
Lying, cheating, stonewalling will be rewarded making it virtually impossible to engage in any serious verification of Iranian compliance with the accord.
As the agreement presently stands, the JCPOA or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action allows Iran to bar international inspectors for entering suspicious sites for 24 days or more, ample time to remove evidence of malfeasance.
Since Iran has violated the agreement twice — that we know of — since the signing and has blatantly lied about its past activity on enrichment, why should it not be emboldened to ignore any inspectors or any agency that seeks to enforce the nuclear deal?
A precedent has been created — not unlike public commentary from the Obama administration. Words mean whatever we want them to mean.
Logic and reason have been subjected to the cauldron of post rational analysis.
And as Jonathan Swift once noted how can you hope to reason someone out of a position, if he hasn’t been reasoned into it.
President Abraham Lincoln once asked, “how many legs would a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.” Similarly, calling Iran a nation that will evolve into a responsible regional partner in the Middle East, doesn’t make it so.
What we want is so often, what we do not have. In this case, what we have is not what anyone would want including those who negotiated the deal.
Yet we slide down the rabbit’s hole persuading ourselves or being persuaded that this deal is good for America. When someone says, “Wait there is a problem,” he is shunted off center stage.
I can hear Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With The Wind,” facing impending problems, saying “I’ll think about it tomorrow.”
Welcome to Tara or Obamaland. Yes, Iran lies and cheats, but the deal is the best we could get and we’ll think about it all tomorrow.
Herbert London is president emeritus of Hudson Institute and author of the books "The Transformational Decade" (University Press of America) and "Decline and Revival in Higher Education" (Transaction Books). Read more reports from Herbert London — Click Here Now.
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